Rooney in line for future United captaincy

Wayne Rooney could become Manchester United's captain in the future, manager David Moyes has said.

Moyes believes the striker is a natural leader and could inspire his teammates in years to come.

Rooney has skippered United on a handful of occasions in his nine-year stay at Old Trafford and last began a game with the armband in September's League Cup win over Liverpool.

And Moyes told British national newspapers: "I think Wayne has always had the ability to be a captain. He's got that love of football as the biggest thing because he loves the game and loves the ball and kicking it around. He's a natural and, in his own way, leads by example in what he tries to do. In future years, he could be the skipper here."

The United manager is content to keep Nemanja Vidic as captain and Patrice Evra as vice-captain now but while other senior players, such as Rio Ferdinand and Ryan Giggs, have also been preferred to Rooney as skipper, all are older than the forward, who recently turned 28.

Moyes explained: "I don't see any reason to change it [the captaincy]. I'm happy as they work very well and I see Vida, Evra, Rio - all the experienced boys - are great behind the scenes. All, in their own right, are really good captains. Vida wears the armband but I use them all for their guidance and experience."